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Ephesians 6
Ephesians 6 Parents and Children – Love and Respect ' '''Verse 1 – Verse 3 ' Children should perform the following: Ø Obey parents IN THE LORD Ø Honour your father and mother à first commandment à promise: “you will enjoy long life on earth”; reference is from Deuteronomy 5:16 Ask the audience: In your own perspective, how would you view your parents? You may use the following to classify your perspective of your parents: Ø Angels sent from Heaven Ø Wise teachers Ø All talk and no action Ø Big Bullies Ø Personal Servants Ø Tyrants in the House (i.e. when they are out of the house, 山中无老虎，猴子称霸王) · Do you find it hard to listen to your parents? If yes, what do you find difficult? · Have you ever had a time where your parents forced you to do something and you retaliated? What happened afterwards? Was the issue resolved? · Nowadays, if your parents told you to do something, would you still have the urge to not do it, like when you were little (perhaps)? · Why do you think God’s promise to us for obeying our parents is “long life on earth”? What are the benefits of listening to our parents? 'Verse 4 ' When your parents ask you to do something, how do they usually ask you? What kind of tone do they give? There probably aren’t any parents MCCF ….. yet …… but the point is that: The approach of asking your child to do something is important. Often, people retaliate and not do what you ask them to do not because of the difficulty of the task itself. Rather, it is the tone that you’ve set for them beforehand. How you ask someone to do something is important, and it does not just apply to parents asking kids to do things; it also applies to asking our friends to help us with tasks, ask colleagues at work for help, etc. Cliché: “What would Jesus do?” How would Jesus ask others to do something? In the gospels, we never saw Jesus being impatient or frustrated when he asked people to do things. Sure he constantly reminded them of the fact that they lack faith, but he never got frustrated and angry at that. 'Verse 10 – 20: “The Armor of God” ' We find it difficult to listen to our parents, mainly because we want to do our own things (we have our own desires) Keep in mind, we also have a Heavenly Father who watches us from above – we want to do worldly things, but we must listen to Him How can we overcome the temptations of the world? In truth, we are fighting a battle. {C} Yes….this war is VERY REAL. · Do you often feel yourself struggling against your own desires? · Do you often feel like you want to stop doing something, but can never find the strength to overcome that desire to stop watching a drama? · Do you want to stop playing so much video games · Do you want to stop going out partying every weekend? 'The Solution ' · '''The Armor of God – these things are tools that you must keep close to you in order for you to find the strength to overcome temptation · They are “theoretical armor” in that sense, keep them with you, like wearing an armor, and you can overcome worldly desires Verse 13 – put them on, keep them beside you ''What is the armor that we need? '' 'Verse 14 ' Belt of TRUTH – We must be truthful always. In a literal sense, this means we must control our tongue, for a “lying tongue” is detested by God (Proverbs 6:16-17). Breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS – Righteousness, what is it? It refers to moral principles. But our “principles” comes from God, not from men. Men may accuse you of your faith, as well as your actions when you follow the Lord, so you must keep God’s righteousness close to you. His will be done, and let His kingdom come, for even our Lord Jesus was persecuted and ridiculed when He preached on earth. 'Verse 15 ' Feet fitted with GOSPEL OF PEACE – we often fall to temptation because we don’t feel peace. It’s called peer pressure, and no one likes to be alienated. But that is why we must always keep the Gospel close to our hearts, use that as our peace. What does Jesus promise us in the Gospel? Remember, we don’t find peace with worldly accomplishments and achievements, for they are TEMPORARY. 'Verse 16 ' Shield of FAITH – this is what protects us from temptation. How strong is your faith? We often fall because we cannot see God with us, helping and guiding us. Thus we often question “Where are you God?” But we need to have faith, for all the miracles that Jesus performed in the Gospels have one major pattern: Faith à Miracle NOT Miracle à Faith Faith will let us stay strong and not doubt. 'Verse 17 ' Helmet of SALVATION and Sword of SPIRIT Salvation – keep it in your mind….you have been cleansed and your sins have been washed away…you have eternal life in Heaven with your Heavenly Father. That is your salvation. Never stop thinking about it, and you will stay strong. The world is temporary, but Heaven is eternal. You are a citizen of Heaven, and you no longer belong in this world. Spirit – our spirit is connected with God. Pray always, ask for strength, and maintain a healthy relationship with God. His Spirit will always strengthen us when we are weak. 'Conclusion ' Stay strong in the Lord, let Him be your strength, and then you will find strength to overcome the worldly desires. The battle is between God and Satan, but remember, the battle is NOT LIKE THIS: {C} There was never a struggle because Jesus always won. {C} So, the question is……will YOU trust Him? He gave YOU armor, will YOU wear it?